Moving to Houston: Lots of Good, Bit of Bad, & Hopefully Little of The Ugly
So other than JB's stellar job opportunity & worthy pay raise (w/o which this move would obviously NOT be happening) what am I bummed over & excited for?
Cons:
*Not drivable to visit any family (I used to be the low airfare queen; time to rehone my skills.)
*No Spanish moss in the trees
*No small town feel (I love literally one degree of separation!)
*Having to start over building a whole new Zumba practice in an area already highly saturated with established Zumba instructors
I can't count "having to leave precious friends, church, teammates, Zumba peeps, & schools" as a con, b/c we'll have to do that no matter what. We can't stay here. JB fixed everything he needed to, so his job here is virtually eliminated; they want him to move on. There are also no other companies hiring for his specialized skill set or pay level around here - he's been checking ever since we fell in love with this place last year. So early in April, I mentally started to accept that we'd probably be leaving this summer. I found my thinking subconsciously shift from "if" to "when" a few days before JB received his official Houston offer... Moving this often is nothing I ever wanted or expected for my life, but God always preps me & carries me through. Sometimes I feel like a domestic missionary. :-P
So yes, I (reluctantly ;-)) have lots of experience - this is move #8 in 12 years, and I am *VERY* good at focusing on the positives!
Pros:
*Almost EXACTLY the same warm, virtually winter-free climate!!! ♥♥♥ (This is #1! Nothing affects my mood more than the temp!)
Where we are now:
Where we're going:
*About 1.5 hrs from the beach! [Living at the beach (Charleston, SC) is our ultimate goal, and every mile I get closer to a Southern shore, the better I feel!]
*Back to all the amenities of civilization: Costco, Ulta, bubble tea ;-) (I'm happy that we've thrived just fine w/o easy access to those things this year...but it'll be nice to be able to treat Sis to Sweet & Sassy and find exciting "Top Chef"-esque modern fine dining, again.)
*Trader Joe's even just announced March 29th that they're finally arriving there this year, too!
*Better schools and more activity options for the kids (gymnastics, baseball, etc.) than our other job option locations
*So many (better & *cheaper*) housing options, as well
*Central Time Zone is THE BEST EVER for TV!!! ;-)
*JB said he has always dreamed of living in Texas, so score a major one for his bucket list! :-D
*They still have Southern accents. (I am sooooo 100% serious that this is a PRO!)
So what's the "Ugly" component? I'm praying this doesn't happen much this go-round, but so often people begin to change at your first actual mention of moving. I talked to a few friends (from Chicago & SC) about this, how people distance themselves from you to protect their own feelings as soon as you announce you're moving - like it will hurt them less when you go, if they disengage now. I can see their side, but it sure does hurt. :-/ I love how my friend, Emily, articulated her recent heartbreak over a BFF moving away from her: "...Departure Day was coming. This is the kind of thing that makes me want to put up a wall and backtrack in some futile attempt to numb the inevitable. I'm glad I didn't. We kept living out our friendship in vivid color, making the most of the months that were left. There were lots of tears shed on Friday. But in the end, I was thankful. That's a good kind of hurt. That's how you know it was worth it. That's the kind of friendship that is more like an extended family. And it's the kind of family you won't let go of just because you are separated by miles. When a good-bye hurts like that, you know it's the beginning of a new chapter. But it's definitely not the end."
Several sweet BFFs here have already made me feel better, even though I know they are sad; so I know I can stick with them to the end. :-D They have extolled the virtues of Houston and boosted my confidence in this change even more = perfect friends. ♥
See also: how this happened, bittersweet, info begging, & house hunting...
Cons:
*Not drivable to visit any family (I used to be the low airfare queen; time to rehone my skills.)
*No Spanish moss in the trees
*No small town feel (I love literally one degree of separation!)
*Having to start over building a whole new Zumba practice in an area already highly saturated with established Zumba instructors
I can't count "having to leave precious friends, church, teammates, Zumba peeps, & schools" as a con, b/c we'll have to do that no matter what. We can't stay here. JB fixed everything he needed to, so his job here is virtually eliminated; they want him to move on. There are also no other companies hiring for his specialized skill set or pay level around here - he's been checking ever since we fell in love with this place last year. So early in April, I mentally started to accept that we'd probably be leaving this summer. I found my thinking subconsciously shift from "if" to "when" a few days before JB received his official Houston offer... Moving this often is nothing I ever wanted or expected for my life, but God always preps me & carries me through. Sometimes I feel like a domestic missionary. :-P
So yes, I (reluctantly ;-)) have lots of experience - this is move #8 in 12 years, and I am *VERY* good at focusing on the positives!
Pros:
*Almost EXACTLY the same warm, virtually winter-free climate!!! ♥♥♥ (This is #1! Nothing affects my mood more than the temp!)
Where we are now:
*Back to all the amenities of civilization: Costco, Ulta, bubble tea ;-) (I'm happy that we've thrived just fine w/o easy access to those things this year...but it'll be nice to be able to treat Sis to Sweet & Sassy and find exciting "Top Chef"-esque modern fine dining, again.)
*Trader Joe's even just announced March 29th that they're finally arriving there this year, too!
*Better schools and more activity options for the kids (gymnastics, baseball, etc.) than our other job option locations
*So many (better & *cheaper*) housing options, as well
*Central Time Zone is THE BEST EVER for TV!!! ;-)
*JB said he has always dreamed of living in Texas, so score a major one for his bucket list! :-D
*They still have Southern accents. (I am sooooo 100% serious that this is a PRO!)
So what's the "Ugly" component? I'm praying this doesn't happen much this go-round, but so often people begin to change at your first actual mention of moving. I talked to a few friends (from Chicago & SC) about this, how people distance themselves from you to protect their own feelings as soon as you announce you're moving - like it will hurt them less when you go, if they disengage now. I can see their side, but it sure does hurt. :-/ I love how my friend, Emily, articulated her recent heartbreak over a BFF moving away from her: "...Departure Day was coming. This is the kind of thing that makes me want to put up a wall and backtrack in some futile attempt to numb the inevitable. I'm glad I didn't. We kept living out our friendship in vivid color, making the most of the months that were left. There were lots of tears shed on Friday. But in the end, I was thankful. That's a good kind of hurt. That's how you know it was worth it. That's the kind of friendship that is more like an extended family. And it's the kind of family you won't let go of just because you are separated by miles. When a good-bye hurts like that, you know it's the beginning of a new chapter. But it's definitely not the end."
Several sweet BFFs here have already made me feel better, even though I know they are sad; so I know I can stick with them to the end. :-D They have extolled the virtues of Houston and boosted my confidence in this change even more = perfect friends. ♥
See also: how this happened, bittersweet, info begging, & house hunting...
What a great list of pros (and I will just not look at cons!)...those of us who are veterans of this moving life learn so much don't we?
ReplyDeleteYou are so right, Michelle - I honestly never thought my life path would entail growing & learning so much in this way!
ReplyDeleteHi!! I'm Suzanne and I live in the Sugar Land area. I'm actually a friend of Michelle's, and she said you might need a Texas friend!! Well, here I am!! :D
ReplyDeleteDo you know yet which area you'll be moving to? I would love to correspond via email with you if I can do anything to help or just be a sounding board. Email me at suzanne(dot)joffrion(at)gmail(dot)com.
Suzanne
Oh, Suzanne - we will be close by! I'll email you! :-)
ReplyDelete